


Just a Ghost in this House

by mammothluv



Category: Lost
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-13
Updated: 2010-01-13
Packaged: 2017-10-06 06:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mammothluv/pseuds/mammothluv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate dreams of Claire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just a Ghost in this House

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt forgiveness/finding from [](http://bluelittlegirl.livejournal.com/profile)[**bluelittlegirl**](http://bluelittlegirl.livejournal.com/) for my alphabet meme. Lost belongs to ABC. I'm not making any profit and no copyright infringement is intended.

Kate's never been a sound sleeper. Even as a child, there was always some threat or worry that she couldn't shake at night. Now that she's back on the island, sleep is more elusive than it's ever been.

When Kate does sleep, Claire is in her dreams; in her waking hours, Claire is as elusive as she's ever been.

Claire is angry in most of the dreams. She screams at Kate for taking her son, for abandoning her. She demands to know where her son is, who is taking care of him now. Those dreams are flashes of images and sound. Kate barely has time to process them before they're gone.

Kate understands. She has no right to it but she's Aaron's mother too. When she doesn't dream of Claire, she dreams of Aaron. She knows the pain of wanting to hold him, needing to know he's okay. She takes the weight of Claire's anger without flinching.

Sometimes, though, Claire is accepting. She smiles and runs toward Kate like she's been waiting all this time. She thanks Kate for taking care of her son. These dreams aren't just flashes. Kate has time to notice the hint of pink the island sun has left on Claire's pale skin, to feel that skin soft and warm against her own as Claire embraces her.

Kate wakes from these dreams with a pounding heart and a queasy feeling in her stomach. She gets out of bed and paces the bedroom of her DHARMA quarters for fear of falling back asleep.

She cannot stomach the reminder Claire's love for Aaron or for her. She cannot fathom Claire's forgiveness.


End file.
